Bribery
by Nimara
Summary: There is a very important event coming up in Natsuki's life but now that means there are certain things she needs to take care of! She attempts to enlist Nao's help. How will Nao respond? -- One Shot -ShizNat


Disclaimer: I do not own Sunrise or any of its creations.

Bribery

Nimara

--

Sometimes you have everything set that you want in life. In your eyes, everything looks beautiful, peaceful, and absolutely the best moments are to come. But also sometimes there is that one little thing that mars your plans and nags at you until you resolve it. I, Natsuki Kuga, am in that situation at this moment. There is nothing else I could ask for except I still have some unfinished business to attend to. I guess I might as well get it over with. I pray that Kami is with me in this or else I'm going to hear it from my darling fiance.

--

The lithe body of a red-haired teenager leaned against the hood of her sporty red coupe as she looked out at the sea before her. The sun was near setting, and the view point was perfect for romantic outings and secret meetings between lovers at this time of night. It overlooked the crashing waves below, the expanse of sea, the Fuuka Bridge and sometimes on a clear night, the mainland. Leaning back on the palms of her hands, the teen puffed out her cheeks in annoyance as she glanced around the small sandy clearing. An early evening breeze blew past the girl causing her frown to set even deeper. She stood and held her denim jacket close to her figure, covering her lime-green lacy tank top. At least she wore her favorite black pants when she came up to the view point. She gritted her teeth and went back to glare out at the beautiful scenery.

_'Fucking, Kuga. Always picking the stupidest places to meet. Where the hell is she anyways?' _Just as she finished her thought a gentle purring could be heard behind her. Eventually the purring became louder and more metallic in sound. She turned around to see a motorcycle roar past the bend and come to a skidding halt near her, stirring up the ground's dust. She coughed and waved her hand to get the dust to dissipate. As it cleared, she could see a familiar figure in a biker's suit pull off her helmet and dark-blue hair pour out. She noticed the back of the bike had an unfamiliar add on, like a box.

Natsuki smiled and placed her helmet on the motorcycle before walking to the box and opened it to retrieve two glass bottles. The teen smirked as she saw the pale gold liquid swish inside the bottles. Natsuki nodded and tossed one to the girl, "Oi, hopefully I didn't make you wait too long, Yuuki."

Nao caught the bottle and went to sit down in front of her car, looking back out at the sea. Natsuki joined her on the ground and opened her bottle, "Yebisu Black, that okay?"

The red-head nodded and opened hers, "Worth my while to stick around and wait for your ass."

The younger woman took deep swig from the beer bottle as Natsuki chuckled and drank more slowly, "You would not have left with the promise of beer. Sorry I was late, Shizuru wanted me to look at flowers with her. _Flowers!_ Honestly, can't she do that on her own? I mean, as long as there is not too much pink or too many flowers, I'm fine."

Nao leered at her, "Got you wrapped around her little finger either way."

"Tch," Natsuki was not going to deny it, "How's school been?"

The red-head took a large gulp from the bottle again as if to prepare to answer the hardest question in her life, "Agh, fine. I'm too brilliant for school. There is no reason for me to be there. I can't wait to get out of that hell hole."

The older woman nodded, enjoying the view, "Mikoto told me you got a boyfriend. She says he might actually be a keeper."

Nao made a painful noise as she clenched one of her fists in front of her, "Damn that Mikoto! He's not a keeper, he's just another guy. Just another pen-..."

"Yeah, yeah. I get it, just go easy with him kay? If you want it to last, take it nice and slowly," Natsuki smiled, still not meeting Nao's fuming gaze.

"I don't care how long it lasts!" Nao drank from the bottle again, her face flushed in anger. Natsuki knew better though and just nodded. This was Nao's first boyfriend, first official boyfriend that is according to Mikoto. Natsuki as just surprised that Nao even accepted the boy's proposal of courtship.

The two of them sat there in silence and watched as the sun began to set on the horizon. Natsuki continued to wear a small smile as if reminiscing while Nao just looked blankly out. Every once in a while Natsuki would nod to herself as if confirming a thought. After a while she spoke, "Good place to come. I had a lot of nice memories here with Shizuru. You should bring your boy here."

Nao stuck out her tongue at looked at her almost empty bottle, "Don't get sentimental on me, Kuga. This place is only good to push people into the ocean."

Natsuki snorted and they went into another long bought of silence. As the sun continued to set, only an afterglow on the horizon, distant lights of the mainland could be seen as well as a fully lit Fuuka Bridge.

Eventually the red-head sighed and placed the bottle in front of her bent legs, "Fuck, I'm out."

Natsuki looked at her own bottle to see it was almost done as well, "I got another one in the case. Actually four more and a party-sized bottle of imported vodka..."

Natsuki began to fidget on the ground and looked over at Nao nervously. Nao narrowed her eyes at her and then looked over her shoulder to the box on the motorcycle, "What do you want?"

'_Caught,' _Natsuki cringed.

"I have a favor to ask, Nao. You got the invitation to the wedding in a couple of months right? Well you see I guess this wedding means I have to pick out these people and those people and such," she continued to blabber on about the wedding and its complications, not getting to the point. Nao reached over and pinched Natsuki's shoulder causing the older woman to yelp and glare angrily at Nao.

"Kuga, get to the point," she state firmly.

"I need these things...people, called honour attendants. Shizuru wants me to have three of them. Yuuichi-san agreed he'd be one and Mikoto said she'd do it as well," Natsuki side glanced nervously at Nao.

Nao held her glare, "What the fuck are you talking about? What the hell is an honour attendant?"

Natsuki gulped visibly before putting the empty bottle to her lips again. Even though Nao did not know what the older woman was talking about, it was amusing to see her this nervous. Natsuki set her bottle down next to Nao's, "Groomsmen. Ya know? I was wondering if you could be one of them. Actually my 'best man'," she finished with the English term.

Nao's gaze softened but only in the sense that she was no longer staring angrily at Natsuki. Instead her glare was replaced with a raised eyebrow as she repeated in clumsy English, "Best man?"

Natsuki nodded as she stood and patted her backside for dirt. She looked down at the teen with a small blush, "Best woman I would suppose then. I don't know why they call it silly thin-..."

"Why?" came Nao's abrupt question as she also stood to face Natsuki. As they stood near each other, Natsuki noticed that the girl had almost surpassed her in height.

The older woman gave a heavy sigh and looked back out to the now dark sea and the city lights from the mainland, "I had to think about this for a long time. When Shizuru said I had to go find myself a 'best man', I did not really know what to do. I mean, no one was as close to me as Shizuru was. Then I guess it naturally came to fall upon you as the next choice. With what we went through with Carnival and all. You and I are...alike. We grew up similarly, we've had our own trials. We think the same way sometimes, ya know? It just seemed like the best choice for me." Natsuki avoided the teen's gaze, never being one good with words even after all these years.

"You really that friendless?" jeered Nao, as she crossed her arms and looked at her sempai. Natsuki felt herself cringe at the joke and anxiety build as she watched Nao shrug and appear to decline the offer. Nao looked Natsuki up and down once, "You say you brought beer and vodka?"

Natsuki nodded almost furiously as she strode over to the container and pulled out four more bottles and a large vodka bottle labeled **Armadale**. Nao could not contain her smile for a few seconds as she rubbed her hands together. Soon she became serious and flipped her wrist at Natsuki with a small smirk, "This is a big favor you ask of me. You know if you go home tonight without a 'best man', Shizuru is not going to be very nice to you."

The older woman blanched at the thought and listened intently as the younger continued, "Throw in another case of beer and some rum and you have yourself a deal."

The dark-haired woman's eyes widened and then she nodded, "Sure that's easy. Of course."

She handed the bottles to Nao who placed them in the back of her car with glee written all over her face. As she turned around to face Natsuki again, she saw that the older woman had a bottle of rum and another pack in her hand. Exactly what Nao had requested!

_'What the hell?'_, Nao sputtered as she looked at the alcohol, "Oh you sly dog. You were prepared!"

Natsuki laughed and placed the additional liquor in Nao's car. Nao began to laugh as well and for a few moments they shared in the hilarity of the situation. Natsuki went to her bike and pulled back her hair, knowing the meeting was now over. She smiled widely at the teen who now leaned against the side of her car, "Thanks, Nao. Don't get too drunk."

Nao nodded with a typical smirk and watched as the biker placed on her helmet and straddled her Ducati. The motorcycle roared to life and Nao's smirk turned into a bit of a frown. Just as Natsuki gassed the bike again Nao stepped away from her car, "Ku-...Natsuki!"

Natsuki stopped at the sound of her first name. It was rare for Nao to use her first name, ever. It may actually have been the first time to Natsuki's recollection. Natsuki popped open the glass visor of her helmet and looked at Nao. The red-head shuffled her feet across the ground somewhat nervously before finally looking up at Natsuki with a sheepish, somewhat embarassed, look, "I would have done it without the bribery."

The 'nice look' disappeared as soon as the words were spoken and the teen crossed her arms and puffed out her cheeks in annoyance. Natsuki's smile was clear through her eyes as she nodded in thanks again and dropped the visor. The Ducati lurched and left the view point, leaving Nao to herself. She took a final glance at the sea before getting into her car. She chuckled to herself, a mischievous grin on her face. She had spoken the truth and was feeling pretty good for herself. What made her feel even better was the liquor in the back of her car. Nao laughed aloud at her fortune before turning on the car, "Kuga, you're so stupid."

--

Natsuki climbed into the large bed in a small white night gown, looming over a lumpy figure under the covers. She reached out her hand and pulled away golden strands from her fiance's face. Slowly she leaned down and placed a kiss on her silky cheek. Moonlight filtered in from the window giving Natsuki's beloved the most angelic glow. Shizuru stirred, slowly opened her eyes, and turned onto her back, Natsuki still above her. She beamed down and kissed her again, this time letting it be a lingering kiss on her lover's lips. Shizuru smiled in the kiss and then reached to cup Natsuki's cheek, "How did it go, love?"

Natsuki's smoft smile turned into a grin, "It was easy."

Shizuru chuckled and encircled her arms around her fiance's waist and brought her down against her own body, "That's good. As a former kaichou, I don't think I want to know your underhanded methods."

Natsuki nuzzled into Shizuru's shoulder, kissing the soft flesh that was there, "Nah, you really don't."

The blond-haired woman sighed softly, "Natsuki, I love you."

"I love you too, Shizuru. I can't believe the happiest days of my life are still to come."

--

Hey! Hope some of you enjoyed it. I know I broke the rule that says something like "Nao can't be near such and such feet of Natsuki without Shizuru even closer". Hopefully the impending wedding of the two balanced out the proximity of Nao. XD I thought it would be nice to write a reconciliation fic between the two. In the anime, Natsuki said that her and Nao were somewhat similar and I figured I'd just go off that. Hope you enjoyed that little friendship!

I enjoyed writing this piece and I hope you guys enjoyed reading it. Reviews of thoughts are always welcomed! And I REALLY want to know what you guys thought of this one. XD

Thank you!

-Nimara

**UPDATE: Okay for those who are wondering why Mai isn't one of Natsuki's groomsmen is cause in my little wedding she's one of Shizuru's bridesmaids. xD


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